Urban Animal Hospital

The staff and Dr. H are fantastic. My cat is 16 years old and she’s getting excellent care. She has a few health issue but everyone is helpful and very accompanying. Just before Christmas I was low on her heart medication but with their connections I got it right before as they would be closed for next 2 days. All the ladies are great but especially Phoebe. She’s caring and sweet and never forget your name, or your animals name or her issues. Dr. H has a knack for hiring a great front staff team! I recommend them to everyone. Thank you from me and Dimsum.

I've been taking my pup here for two years primarily due to the location and the girls at front desk are usually friendly. However, my appointments with the main vet, Dr. Hayk have consistently been mediocre, often leaving me with the same questions I come in with. Today, I came in for a routine nail trim and my dog's nail was cut way too short causing a lot of bleeding. When I addressed this concern with the staff, I was dishearteningly dismissed and was told that it does not hurt. Hours later, my dog is still bleeding. I am very unhappy with the clinic's overall care. Unfortunately, I will be seeking a new clinic.

Took my cat for the first time for a nail trim and a yearly check up after moving around the area, staff is very friendly and a really professional veterinarian, really helpful with providing special food for my cat that helps with problems she had in the past.
Definitely recommended.

Please be kind and explain well. I feel reassured because I can see that the babies are happy.

I would look for vets elsewhere if you are looking for bunny savvy vets.
Clipping my buns nails became a drama when multiple nails were cut to the wick

This review is based on just one visit, but that one visit restored our hope and opened our eyes to what vetcare can and should look like. We've spent over $10k caring for rabbits at several other vet clinics and hospitals over the past 4 years. For Dewey, this always resulted in lots of tests and never any good answers. Here's what stood out to us about Urban Animal Hospital as different and better.

1. The first phone interaction was positive and reassuring, and we got a same-day Sunday morning appointment seeking palitive care for Dewey, suspected (but not confirmed) to have cancer. Our regular vet was closed, and we wanted a fresh opinion anyway. We called another vet who could give us an appointment, too, but we felt much better about this first contact.

2. When we arrived, the two receptionists were in a good mood, attentive and orderly. They went from giggling about something silly to very attentively listening to and recording Dewey's history and symptoms in the most professional way.

3. We went into an actual exam room, and we got to stay with and comfort Dewey the entire time. Not once in the past 4 years has this happened. We are done taking our pets somewhere we only see the lobby of and leaving them in a stressful environment for hours on end.

4. We got to interact directly with the attending veterinarian, which was both extremely comforting and very helpful in relaying pertinent information in real time as he performed his exam. The amount of eye contact we got from an actual veterinarian is surely more here in one visit than the rest of the previous 4 years combined, and such an important factor. We are done accepting telemedical veterinarian care with a storefront cashier.

5. While the attending veterinarian was not an expert in rabbits, which is okay, we could see and observe everything he was doing and discussing with his colleague. His veterinary knowledge and processes were obvious and apparent, and we had every confidence that what he was saying and doing was correct.

6. He wheeled an ultrasound machine into the exam room right when he arrived. I said, "We just did an ultrasound, " to which he replied, "Don't worry, I'm not going to charge you, I just want to see what's going on. " The ultrasound we just did cost $600, we had to wait days for the appointment, they shaved his entire belly and sedated him (leading to a lot of diarrhea) and they didn't even find anything conclusive. Here, he was able to do the ultrasound in other spots through his fur just fine, at least enough to see what he needed to see, and Dewey was conscious and conforted the whole time. Different scenarios and circumstances maybe, but still.

7. We left with a sensible treatment plan, which all four of us agreed upon. It made complete sense and was directed at Dewey's most concerning and newly discovered symptom, liquid pooling under his skin and water diluting his blood. They also lent us a heating pad/bed, which was just so unexpected and heartfelt.

8. After a $200 discount we didn't ask for, our bill was only $198. We would have been smiling all the way home if this visit was $1,200, purely based on the excellent level of care and attention Dewey received.

Sadly however, Dewey passed away the very next morning in my arms, within just a few minutes of us waking up. He deteriorated significantly overnight, but waited for us to say goodbye. While 'what ifs' are not a healthy part of the grieving process, 'what if Dewey came to this clinic just a few days or weeks beforehand' most definitely did occur to me. We'll never know.

What I do know is that we'll continue bringing our other two rabbits here until they give us a reason not to. If we need to update this review later, we will. We only just reviewed our current vet after 2 years of care. Our first impression though is excellent, and we are eternally grateful for the hope and care you provided us in Dewey's final days. Posting now because it's worth letting other pet owners know what they should be looking out for. Thanks again!

I wish I could give this clinic 10 stars. Knowledgeable, compassionate, fantastic doctors (Dr Hayk and Dr Zoran).

1. I got my dogs microchipped and I thought it is just simple procedure. I cannot believe they did not check it if the microchipped is actually inserted. I went to different vet for vaccination and they said the microchipped was not there. It is really creating a lot of issues since I have to go back and forth and it caused a lot of works and wasted time traveling back and forth since I need it for travel.

2. They quoted me for updated Rabies Titer Test as $151.06 and afterward, they are trying to ask almost doubled.
If they have told me that, I would have just redo the test and not even bother to updated the report. FYI - the only update is the country of the pet is moved to and the correction of the owner name.

I just moved to Vancouver and my cat, Eggroll, needed a checkup. Chose this vet for its proximity to where I am staying, but I will continue going because of how incredibly friendly and caring everyone is. You can tell these individuals truly love what they do. When our pets are not well it can be a stressful time for them as well as their humans and they take such good care of everyone. Called me this morning to check-in and make sure my cat was doing alright after his visit. Just top notch care, have never experienced this level of service before at a vet. Thank you for loving all of your patients.

Dr. Hayk Hakobyan is an incredible doctor! I’ve met a lot of veterinarians in three different countries (Ukraine, Poland, and Canada) and he is the first who diagnosed my cat. He also provided a dental surgery and now my cat is absolutely healthy. Overall, highly recommended!

Dr Hayk is a fantastic vet, he seems to absolutely love the animals that he sees. He's super honest with diagnosis and prognosis even if the prognosis is poor. If you're at all hypersensitive then you may find him curt, as I initially did - but keep in mind, he's there to provide care first and foremost for your pets (which he does very well). Subsequent visits, he's been incredible and very kind - he's been very on point with his estimations, timelines, and diagnoses of both my dogs and I've never felt upsold. He can also perform ultrasounds which other clinics cannot.

We had initially seen Dr Hayk for an emergency visit, but was incredibly impressed in a subsequent visit when he also diagnosed an unrelated but rather apparent lump on my dog's leg as a bone tumor that our previous vet had not diagnosed for months. Dr Hayk gave a devastating prognosis of about 6 months untreated, but with his palliative care suggestions and treatments, my dog has since exceeded this.

We've since switched to this clinic even though it's downtown and parking is atrocious - it's that worth it to have a good vet.

+ Competitive pricing, appointments are easy to get and usually quite punctual, reception and vet techs are good, nice to have follow-up care calls and emailed appt reminders.

My 10 year old Aussie was referred to Dr Hayk for an ear infection that would not get better for over 9 months. Dr Hayk resolved the issue in a few months. My dog is now infection free, lost some weight due to a new diet. He’s like a puppy again.
The Dr and staff are fantastic, always takes the time to answer any questions, during the visit and over the phone. They also follow up to see how the dog is after any procedure.

I trusted Dr Hayk Hakobyan with the painful decision to put my loved dog down recently. We have been clients of Urban Animal Hospital since 1989 and after spending tens of thousands of dollars over 32 years with various pets, the veterinarian that I trusted with the health of our dear pets completely betrayed us. Lee, the office manager, was rude on the phone, dropping us as patients under false accusations. We are flabbergasted by their entitled attitude. I would no longer recommend this clinic to anyone. The staff is clearly untrustworthy. And at no point, with several witnesses there that can attest, were there any disrespect from my family. You have not only lied, but also exhibited disrespect to your so called valued clients.

Good veterinarian but terrible air quality and I try and spend as little time in there as possible as it’s never below 1000ppm of CO2. Today when I arrived it was at almost 1500ppm and no one wears a mask.

Update: my comment has caused them to drop me as a client without warning or discussion.

I guess they have super thin skin about the poor air quality for their staff and patients but not enough to do something about it

DO NOT GO HERE!

My roommate's dog ingested a foreign item last night, and we took him to an emergency room. The on call doctor said he needed an endoscopy and that they didn't have the specialized doctor to perform the procedure in for the next 2 days. The situation is critical, he is on IV and every minute that we waste is threatening his life. If the object leaves his stomach and reaches his intestine, he will have to go to surgery. We don't want him to go under the knife unless its absolutely necessary.

Urban was our regular vet for the little puppy for the past 1 year, and so naturally we called them to inquire if they can perform the procedure. The receptionist was so rude on the phone, told her that he doesn't need an endoscopy and that we were stupid to even ask for such an "uncommon procedure". Remind you, this is just a receptionist with no medical training whatsoever, and has not yet examined the patient.

Moving forward, she proceeded to say that the doctor that performs the endoscopy could be at one of two locations in the lower mainland, and that we should just go there and "try your luck. "

"TRY YOUR LUCK? "

Obviously, we lost our temper on the phone because this was the regular vet, we were supposed to get help from them and this girl with ZERO medical training wasted 30 minutes on the phone telling us that we don't need the procedure. And now is entirely refusing to help. I was furious at the lack of professionalism and pure empathy from the receptionist. To be met with such unprofessionalism, disregard for urgency, and a refusal to even explore options is truly shocking.

Now she told her boss that we were rude to her on the phone, and they removed us as clients altogether.

The absolute worst experience, do not go there.

The most knowledgeable vet clinic I know. They saved my dog's life twice. They cares about your pet as much, if not more, than you do. They always go an extra mile. I would definitely recommend Urban Animal Hospital to everyone!

Excellent service! Dr. Hayk is very knowledgeable and caring. Can't find enough words to thank him, his amazing assistant Alena and the rest of his team!

I needed Saline solution for my chihuahua cuz his eye was randomly red. I went to shoppers. London Drugs (only cuz they were closet. Nothing.called them walked up cuz parking is a biatch.free of charge! Very nice

Upfront and honest approach.
They felt more like a humane society then a retail clinic like most others often do.

Excellent vets and staff. We've never had better care for our cats than we've had here. Super knowledgeable vets who are clearly veterans in their profession.

Update months later: the continuing level of care and attention to detail has been stellar. Dr. Hakobyan actively reads veterinary journals and has continued to amaze me with the care he's taken with our cats. Also worth noting that they do labs tests and results onsite with results in minutes.

Update 2023: the level of care here still amazes me. Easily the best vet I've had in my life; highly recommended.

First 5 minutes i stepped in, i knew this was the right place to get the necessary care for my kitten. The staff and Dr Hyke are authentic, very professional, genuinely loving and caring, and they know how to give proper medical treatment. This place is very decent and it shows.

Dr. Hayak is a very knowledge doctor. As a veteran nurse who served 3 countries I trust this man with my 2 cats and GSD 100%. His front desk receptionist from Korea is another story. Recently, for some reason she took a disliking to me. She quickly engaged in passive aggressive behavior by ignoring me while being overly friendly with other clients, adding to speaking with a client in Korean who was was sitting next to me and had clear command of the English language, and ignoring my request to speak to her to engage her colleagues into a hate campaign against me while I sat and had no choice but tolerate her abuse. Healthcare is challenging, human and animal… but remaining professional is something that is not negotiable.

I brought my cat here several times to see Dr. Lee. Sometime in the 2 years, the clinic changed ownership and I am not impressed with the new veterinarians.

My cat has been healthy and had no problems, when we brought him in for a simple GI issue. The vet gave us a rushed exam and immediately told me my cat had asthma, had anxiety and that he was possibly blocked due to crystals.

I knew he was out to lunch, as none of these things were ever noted by the previous vet, and he has never once shown any signs of asthma, or urine blockages.

The icing on the cake was, when we were leaving- the vet offered me a flyer advertising a special for diagnostic tests… just a disgusting money grab, and unnecessary stress on your pet.

Do yourself and your furry friend a favour and seek out a vet that is actually interested in your pets health, not just a money grab. Shame on them.

EDIT: Dr. Kim was the original vet I saw before the clinic was sold.

Also, I have since brought my cat to Granville Island Vet hospital where he was thoroughly examined and given a clean bill of health. No asthma, no urine crystals.